Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Hangin Out With 'Mr. Cineroc' - Part 3 - One Of Herb's Rockets

Here is another photo which Herb Desind sent along in one of his letters....



 Following is an excerpt describing this flight:

"This rocket pictured is my very first 2-stage F-100 Cineroc carrier, the Janeine II.  It was named after a rock-and-roll 'pirate' music ship I visited in the North Sea when I was in Europe. The station was Radio Atlantis on the ship Janeine in the North Sea.  That rocket flew to a high altitude of about 4,000 feet and the film came out real nice, except the second stage spun a lot."

I would have loved to have seen the video of that flight.

Speaking of F-100 two stage Cineroc flights, Herb describes one that he launched at the Estes Industries plant during a visit to Colorado: 

"...launched at Estes and which got 5,000 feet above them and saw so much it is really great."

I wonder to this day if that flight stands as the highest powered rocket launched by a visiting guest witnessed at Estes Industries .  Herb didn't describe too much more about it, but I would wager to guess that a good sized crowd of Estes employees may have turned out for that one!

Herb did go on to say that he was surprised at how many body tubes and nose cones in great shape  were strewn about Estes' flying field.

"I put the grab on them and made a few good Omega rockets out of those parts."

Likely, these were the leftover pieces of many a Big Bertha which was Estes' go-to demo launch bird for visiting guests.

He was also amazed at the number of old expended engine casings lying around the field.

Hey, it is the proving ground at the 'Model Rocket Capitol of the World', after all!